In the Middle Ages there was a very limited understanding of the human body. They didn't even know of the separate human organs and systems. They based most of their medicines around plants as we sometimes do today. Fear and superstition played a big role in medicine. People believed that diseases and sickness were a punishment from god or a result of sinful actions. Instead of seeing a doctor or healer, they would often go on a pilgrimage or go pray.
blood letting: This was one of the treatments commonly used on patients.
Most of the plants and herbs used in medieval medicine could be grown in the average medieval garden. Most of the time the healer didn't have to travel far to get the plant they needed. Many of the plants used for medicine were also used for cooking, such as lavender.
Some important people in the world of medicine were:
Healers: ·Often received no formal training. ·Some were midwives, dentists, or apothecaries. ·Some were hired to work in noble households but most had another job such as a butcher or barber. ·Medical books were written in Latin but there was also an oral tradition where cures were passed down from generation to generation. ·Unlike other jobs of the middle ages, it was very common for a woman to work as a healer.
Dentists:
lavender was used to heal burns, as well as in cooking.
·Medieval dentists were usually barbers. ·Extracted teeth. ·Filled cavities. ·Even fixed broken jaws.
2 events surrounding this topic:
The black plague:
About one-third of Europe’s population was wiped out.
In the early 1330’s there was an outbreak of the bubonic plague in China.
The disease was from fleas which were on rats.
The rats were carried by merchants when they were trading. The rats eventually got to Europe.
People in the villages lived in such close quarters, that the plague spread quite rapidly.
The healers tried to cure the sick but nothing worked. All they got in return was the Black Death from the person they were trying to cure.
In the 1400’s, a series of royal decrees prohibited lay barbers from doing anything except, bleeding, cupping, leeching, or extracting teeth. - On the downside, this limited the money that the barbers got because they could only do certain jobs. - On the upside, this created a better era of dentistry - Also, people had better dental hygiene.
Medicine was important because people were cured from their illnesses, and lived longer. People went to the dentist and had better dental hygiene. There was a larger population because less people were dying and there were more people to do jobs and create a surplus of food.
The Middle Ages influenced modern dentistry because they were more advanced dentists. They could extract teeth, fix broken jaws, and fill cavities. Medicine from the middle ages has had an impact on the world today because we still base some of our medications off of plants like in those times.
In the Middle Ages there was a very limited understanding of the human body. They didn't even know of the separate human organs and systems. They based most of their medicines around plants as we sometimes do today. Fear and superstition played a big role in medicine. People believed that diseases and sickness were a punishment from god or a result of sinful actions. Instead of seeing a doctor or healer, they would often go on a pilgrimage or go pray.
Most of the plants and herbs used in medieval medicine could be grown in the average medieval garden. Most of the time the healer didn't have to travel far to get the plant they needed. Many of the plants used for medicine were also used for cooking, such as lavender.
Some important people in the world of medicine were:
Healers:
· Often received no formal training.
· Some were midwives, dentists, or apothecaries.
· Some were hired to work in noble households but most had another job such as a butcher or barber.
· Medical books were written in Latin but there was also an oral tradition where cures were passed down from generation to generation.
· Unlike other jobs of the middle ages, it was very common for a woman to work as a healer.
Dentists:
· Medieval dentists were usually barbers.
· Extracted teeth.
· Filled cavities.
· Even fixed broken jaws.
2 events surrounding this topic:
The black plague:
In the 1400’s, a series of royal decrees prohibited lay barbers from doing anything except, bleeding, cupping, leeching, or extracting teeth.
- On the downside, this limited the money that the barbers got because they could only do certain jobs.
- On the upside, this created a better era of dentistry
- Also, people had better dental hygiene.
Medicine was important because people were cured from their illnesses, and lived longer. People went to the dentist and had better dental hygiene. There was a larger population because less people were dying and there were more people to do jobs and create a surplus of food.
The Middle Ages influenced modern dentistry because they were more advanced dentists. They could extract teeth, fix broken jaws, and fill cavities. Medicine from the middle ages has had an impact on the world today because we still base some of our medications off of plants like in those times.
Citations:
"Medicine in the Middle Ages." History Learning site. 2000. 15 Apr. 2009 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medicine_in_the_middle_ages.htm.
Bellerby, Rachel. "Medicine in the Middle Ages." Suite 101. 9 June 2008. 16 Apr. 2009 http://medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/medicine_in_the_middle_ages.
"Medicine in the Middle Ages." The middle ages website. 15 Apr. 2009 http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/medicine-in-the-middle-ages.htm.
Medieval World. Vol. 6. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2001.
Emily Hensley